Frances Valintine

The Mind Lab is an inter-disciplinary learning lab designed to contextualise education in a 21st century setting, reflecting best practice teaching methodologies and authentic technology integration to develop skills and knowledge.

While science, technology and discovery are the three pillars of the lab there is a strong focus on convergence between disciplines and blending low tech and high tech approaches to problem solving. Robotics, invention, stop motion animation, gesture based computing, coding and electronics are just some of the many areas used to help facilitate and spark innovation. The Mind Lab opened in 2013 to directly respond to the changing role of education and the skills required for the future. Within The Mind Lab the process of creative and technical development includes learning how to test, fail and fix, and the concept of prototyping is promoted. The Mind Lab is committed to the next generation of makers, doers, inventors and creators who will shape the future with new ways of working, thinking and living. While technology is utilised throughout the lab, all technologies are seen as ‘tools of the trade’ rather than being used as consumer based products.

Outside the core programmes and workshops run for children The Mind Lab is committed to the continual development of the teaching profession to help teachers develop new ways of integrating technology and hands-on, project-based-learning in the classroom. The creative environment in the lab has been designed to stimulate creativity, to facilitate open exchange of ideas and to provide an inclusive, sharing space for authentic learning.